mATX

microATX, also known as µATX (sometimes transliterated as mATX or uATX on Internet forums) is a standard for motherboards that was introduced in December 1997. The maximum size of a microATX motherboard is 244 mm × 244 mm (9.6 in × 9.6 in), but some microATX boards can be as small as 171.45 mm × 171.45 mm (6.75 in × 6.75 in). The standard ATX size is 25% longer, at 305 mm × 244 mm (12 in × 9.6 in).

Mini ITX

Mini-ITX is a 17 x 17 cm (or 6.7 x 6.7 inches) low-power motherboard form factor developed by VIA Technologies in 2001. Mini-ITX is slightly smaller than microATX and screw-compatible with it. Mini-ITX boards can often be passively cooled due to their low power consumption architecture, which makes them useful for home theater PC systems, where fan noise can detract from the cinema experience. Beside that specific application, they are commonly used in small form factor (SFF) computer systems.

SSI CEB

The Compact Electronics Bay Specification (CEB) as well as EEB, MEB and TEB ("Thin Electronics Bay") are standard form factors for dual or multi processor motherboards defined by the Server System Infrastructure (SSI) forum.

SSI EEB

Thin Mini ITX

Mini-ITX is a 17 × 17 cm (6.7 × 6.7 in) low-power motherboard form factor developed by VIA Technologies in 2001. They are commonly used in small form factor (SFF) computer systems. Mini-ITX boards can often be passively cooled due to their low power consumption architecture, which makes them useful for home theater PC systems, where fan noise can detract from the cinema experience.

AMD 3-Way CrossFireX

AMD CrossFireX (previously known as CrossFire) is a brand name for the multi-GPU solution by Advanced Micro Devices, originally developed by ATI Technologies. The technology allows up to four GPUs to be used in a single computer to improve graphics performance.

AMD CrossfireX

AMD CrossFireX™ technology is the ultimate multi-GPU performance gaming platform. Unlocking game-dominating power, AMD CrossFireX™ harnesses the power of two or more discrete graphics cards working in parallel to dramatically improve gaming performance. With AMD CrossFireX™-certified AMD Radeon™ HD graphics cards ready for practically every budget and the flexibility to combine two, three or four GPUs, AMD CrossFireX™ is the perfect multi-GPU solution for those who demand the best.Extreme Performance

By combining the intelligent software algorithms of the AMD Catalyst™ suite with dedicated scaling logic in each AMD graphics processor, a gaming rig equipped with AMD CrossFireX™ technology can deliver up to four times the performance of a system with a single graphics card.

NVIDIA SLI

Scalable Link Interface, SLI for short, is a multi-GPU technology from Nvidia, which enables the interconnection of two or more graphics chips to increase rendering performance (SLI frame rendering) or the use of up to four screens (SLI Multi View).

Intel

Killer NIC

The Killer NIC (Network Interface Card), from Bigfoot Networks, is designed to circumvent the Microsoft Windows TCP/IP stack, and handle processing on the card via a dedicated Network Processing Unit. Most standard NIC's are host based, and make use of the primary CPU. The manufacturer claims that the Killer NIC is capable of reducing network latency and lag. The card was first introduced in 2006.

Motherboards

In personal computers, a motherboard is the central printed circuit board (PCB) in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, providing connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple computers, the logic board. It is also sometimes casually shortened to mobo.…more